Improvement in guards for nursery doors or windows



2 Sheets--Sheet V A. HOWARD. lmprovement in Guards for Nursery-Doors or Windows.

Patented May-28,1372.

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A. HOWARD; Improvement in Guards for Nursery-Doors or Windows.

. Patented May 28,1872.

AUSTIN HOWARD, OF MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT I-N GUARDS FOR NURSE-RV DOORS OR WINDOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,166, dated May 28, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUSTIN HOWARD, of Milford, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Adjustable Guards for Nursery Doors, Windows, 850., of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective View of my improved guard applied to a nursery-window. Fig. 2 is a plan of my guard when folded into a position not required for use.

To prevent young children fromfalling out of the window or down the staircase of a house, and to keep them from straying from the nursery or other apartment, is the object of my invention; which consists in two side pieces connected with a central bar by a series of short bars pivoted thereto, thus forming a series of toggle-joints, whereby, on depressing the central bar, the side pieces are separated and forcibly pressed against the jambs or sides of the window, door, or staircase to be guarded, in which position the parts are securely locked by a rack and pawl or other suitable device.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawing, A A are two upright side pieces, connected with a central upright bar, 13, by a series of cross-pieces, C U, piv oted at each end thereto and forming a series of toggle-joints, the whole serving as a guard to be applied to the jainbs or sides of a door, window, or staircase. On the inner edge of one of the side pieces A is secured a toothed rack, D, into which engages the upper end of a pawl, a, the lower end of which is loosely pivoted, at b, to one of the cross-pieces G C.

When the guard is folded up in the position seen in Fig. 2, and it is required to be placed across an open window-frame of a nursery, the central bar B is depressed, and the side pieces A A thereby separated till they are brought firmly against the sides or jambs c 0, in which position the pieces are securely held, and the guard prevented from being accidentally removed by the pawl a dropping into one of the notches in the rack D, whereby the danger of little children falling out of the window is avoided.

When my improved guard is to be removed to close the window, the upper end of the pawl is drawn out of its notch and the central bar B raised, when the side pieces A A recede from the Window-jambs, and the guard may be folded into its original position, Fig. 2.

My improved guard is so constructed as to be adjustable to fit window-frames, doors, and staircases of different widths, it being only necessary to depress the bar B till the side pieces A are brought to bear on the sides of the opening to be guarded. The surfaces of the outer ends of the side pieces A A may be provided with rubber or other suitable material to prevent marring the woodwork or removing the paint therefrom.

It is evident that the position of the pawl and toothed rack may be variedfor instance, the pawl may be pivoted to the top of one of the side pieces and drop into a rack secured to the top of one of the upper cross-pieces 0.

Claim.

AUSTIN HOWARD.

In presence of- N. W. STEARNS, W. J. CAMBRIDGE. 

